


No Ceremony

by transboysora



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: (its me), M/M, So is the rest of the carnival too, Yasha is in like one of these but maybe not enough to tag, anyway guess who doesnt like using ao3 tags properly, everything ends happily anyway no matter what so it's chill, i can't add every tag for everything that happens in these they're all over the place sorry, most of them are happy enough if not bittersweet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-26
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-05-29 04:19:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 7,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15065006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/transboysora/pseuds/transboysora
Summary: Sooner or later the “small pauses where we can be natural and just breathe, because lying is exhausting sometimes even if I like the security it brings” becomes “being with you is where I feel at home and everywhere else is where I have to lie, and existing in this truth with you is far more comforting than any lie could ever be.”(Just a compilation of all the small bits of writing I've done (mostly about Molly and Fjord) because I love them being soft and in love.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi if you've been in the fjordmauk tag on tumblr at all you've probably seen these floating around but I wanted to put all of them in one place + clean them up a little so the tenses and whatnot aren't all over the place, make em more coherent in general. You can find me over @fjordsmolly on tumblr for more of these in real time lmao but I'll do my best to keep on top of this too.  
> Comments are! Always good!  
> Also sorry in advance I hate quotation marks.

Fjord and Molly don't ever get married.

Traditional marriage isn't exactly for either of them, and while it's very clear to pretty much anyone that looks enough that they're committed to one another, they also don't need to have it announced via ceremony or legality.

Molly one night, restless and unable to sleep, sneaks out (or, less sneaking and more kissing a half awake Fjord on the forehead and telling him he has something to take care of and not to worry) and finds a tattoo artist, some hole in the wall shop he has to ask around for, and pays them to put a small anchor on the inside of his left ring finger

He doesnt make a big deal of it coming back, just finds his usual place in Fjord's arms and heads back to sleep for the few hours he has left.

The next morning Fjord notices almost immediately, feeling the ink as he's idly fiddling with Molly's fingers, giving him a questioning look that Molly doesn't need before he shrugs and gives a casual explanation.

Fjord is his anchor, in more ways than one, as cliche as it sounds. The nautical themes are only too apt, and “sailor” has become one of the fondest nicknames Molly has for him.

Fjord keeps him grounded and steady, has stopped him from fleeing in the middle of the night and has kept him alive not only literally in combat but figuratively in the sense that Molly didn't always know how not to be self sacrificial.

He makes dumb jokes when he's seriously injured and makes light of his existence and Fjord helps remind him that he has worth to people around him, that his existence was wanted and even needed (needed so much, even, that “sunshine” became a pretty common pet name from Fjord, not that Molly realizes the significance until it's pointed out to him).

So, Fjord keeps him safe. And is very much his anchor.

Later that day, after quite a bit of dumbly tearful kissing and a lot of laughing on top of each other, Fjord has Molly take him to the same place (to "say thank you" and "check out their work") and gets one too.

A peacock feather in the same place, doesn't let Molly look at it until it's done.

Molly grabs his face and kisses him as soon as he sees it, and they make their way back to the current inn. 

Fjord explains, softly and with his fingers roaming gently over Molly's skin, the meaning behind the feather, aside from the obvious connection to Molly.

He feels proud. Proud to be himself and not hiding behind bullshit, proud to be alive and exist in a way that he hadn't felt before. 

The words, filled with so much sincerity and love that Molly can feel it closing his throat up, bring more sappily tearful kissing.

There was no ceremony necessary for their love.


	2. Chapter 2

Fjord and Molly spar a lot together.

It starts out as a way to practice fighting and to burn energy with someone around the same strength, dueling with sticks they find on the ground while traveling, and over time it escalates to the point that they can use real swords without fear of hurting one another.

They dance around each other, both looking unbearably smug, Molly's tail moving mischievously while Fjord's lips curve up in a smirk.

It becomes increasingly transparent over time, when either of them end up pinned to trees or on the ground more often than necessary, that the sparring is less for the benefit of practicing and more an excuse to be close to each other.

And ending with both of them panting is just kind of a bonus, really.

This also lets them fight together well, back to back and moving like a well oiled machine, almost like a performance. It's pretty easy (maybe too easy) for them both to feel confident they're going to win as long as they're together.


	3. Chapter 3

Molly and Fjord are both fairly restless people.

It seems like they're in sync, both lying awake at ungodly hours of the morning together more often than they do it alone.

One quiet night, between towns and camping outside, they're both looking up at the stars. 

Molly's laying with his head on Fjord's stomach, his tail twitching with pent up energy, and Fjord's fingers are running consistently through his hair, sometimes pausing to twist the strands between his fingers in a motion that, while soothing, also belies the amount he doesn't want to stay still right now.

Molly sits up first, speaking lowly so as not to wake their companions but not too entirely worried either, and asks if Fjord wants to go on an adventure with him.

He didn't need to ask, really, and Fjord would tell him that if they didn't both already know. Instead he laughs and agrees kindly, the mischief in the words and in his eyes bringing a full grin to Molly's face.

Molly leads Fjord, pulling him by the hand and with his tail every so often brushing excitedly past or curling briefly around Fjords wrist or waist or really anywhere it could roam, to a nearby lake they'd passed before, beginning to walk backwards as soon as it's in sight, letting go of Fjord's hand to begin undressing.

He's half undressed by the time they reach the edge of the water, sitting down to take his shoes off and then peeling off his pants and underwear, setting them all into a pile before swimming in.

He turns back to Fjord and takes in his expression with a laugh and a teasing “Are you coming in, sailor?”

He also didn't need to ask that, either, but the fun is in the pretending anyway.

Fjord strips nearly as fast and joins Molly, who immediately uses his tail to fling water into Fjord's face.

This, naturally, starts a fight, starting with water being flung back at Molly and consisting of Fjord having been clung too and dunked underwater, Molly being pulled into a headlock and dunked back, and Molly using his tail to trip fjord up. 

It ends with Fjord picking Molly up and tossing him, both of them laughing too hard to continue fighting.

Or, more concretely, it ends with a kiss and Molly burying his head in Fjord's neck while still shaking with laughter and Fjord's arms steady around him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is one of the few that isnt fjordmauk and is just molly stuff

The carnival spends a lot of combined time teaching Molly how to do things.

Sometimes it's things he needs to learn; pitching the tents, packing the wagons properly, how to fight for himself if necessary (though that one, something about that one comes real easy, like muscle memory he doesn't ever remember learning).

Some of them are less survival, more living. Everyone in the carnival is of the opinion that survival was meaningless if joy didn't come along with it, if there was nothing to cut the hardship and monotony of day to day life.

Ornna and Gustav teach him how to do performance hair and makeup, letting him practice on all of them (much to the twins’ simultaneous delight and dismay; seeing the other in ridiculous makeup and hair was a bonus but fuck if they didn't immediately volunteer the other when Molly needed practice).

He braids flowers into Toya's hair, does the same with smaller bits of Yasha's too.

Toya, Ornna, and Yasha all spend a sunny afternoon teaching him how to make flower crowns. 

They make them for the rest of the carnival and all dance around a fire together later that night, heads thrown back in laughter, Toya being lifted and spun around, everyone showing off for one another.

Bo has Molly on one shoulder and the twins on the other, manages to put Gustav on his shoulders too before Mona and Yuli try to push Molly off and they all go toppling.

Ornna dances with the flames, and then with everyone in the carnival in turn.

Gustav tells stories, his inflection and way of weaving words keeping even those that had been with the carnival since the beginning listening with rapt attention.

Molly has fun. He laughs freely for the first time that he can remember.

And that night sticks with him forever, the feeling of him and his newfound family not just surviving together but thriving, seamlessly and joyously.


	5. Chapter 5

Molly likes laying on top of Fjord while sleeping for a few reasons.

He just likes being close to him, kind of obviously, and is very cuddly in general.

He fits very well in Fjord's arms, tucked up under his chin even though his horns must be uncomfortable (the only complaining Fjord ever did was in jest, though there were mornings that he’d wake with indentations on him).

Half-orcs are colder than tieflings and Molly keeps Fjord warm, Molly enjoys the contrast and the feeling of Fjord's fingers, cool on his skin, roaming idly down his back and sides.

He likes listening to his heart, reminds him that hes alive.

If someone were to try and hurt Fjord they'd have to get through Molly first, curled up on him like a cat.

(Molly very actively thinks of this on worse nights, paranoid they're going to get killed, Fjord's steady heartbeat and the visceral feeling of him being alive the only thing keeping him from panicking sometimes.)


	6. Chapter 6

The first thing Molly remembers seeing is the night sky.

The stars much too bright, way more meaningful and full of an odd hope than they should be.

They watched over him as he stumbled through the woods, incoherent and knowing nothing yet but the feelings he has.

Twigs digging into his bare feet, wind hitting his face, and bright pinpoints of light burning behind his eyes every time he closes them for even a second.

They don't hurt exactly, but it's disorienting and he starts to lose track of time like that, blinking for too long and seeing the stars behind his eyelids, opening them and looking up to see them again.

Yasha finds him like this, is sent by Gustav to investigate the shady person coming too close to where their tents are set up for comfort.

She discovers he isn't a threat almost immediately when he stumbles into her, tries to talk to him with no results except for a broken sounding “empty”.

She guides him back gently, he doesn't recall much except her arm around him later, couldn't say what she tried to talk to him about or where he was before she found him.

He does remember the stars guiding him, though. Takes maybe more meaning from that than he needs to, finds comfort in how vast space must be and how brightly the stars shine each night.


	7. Chapter 7

Molly and Fjord, one time on some sort of dumb impromptu mission to gather info, find themselves at a really fancy party.

Like, agonizingly fancy, the sort of rich people that are never fun to be around, making boring small talk and being lavish for the sake of showing it off.

Neither of them thrive well in this environment, they can pretend well enough but the want for theatrics and chaos is an itch that's under their skin, and when they're alone they feed off of each other, shared smirks and raised eyebrows quite abundant between them.

They can both lie, though. And getting into one party (their first) they don't have a good backstory planned. Molly, surprisingly, is the one that gets accepted first, and Fjord gets a suspicious once over and a “And who are you?” directed at him.

Molly, with a grin and a failed attempt to pass Fjord one of his rings (Fjord's fingers were all too big, and it was passed back immediately, would've been accompanied by a confused glance had they not been being watched) explains that Fjord is his husband.

“Where's his ring then?”

“He wears the rings for both of us.”

“He's right, see?” 

And Molly brings his fingers up, waggling them and winking.

They are, very surprisingly, let through.

As the night progresses they get handsier (and more drunk). Molly's draped over Fjord while they dupe nobles out of their information, Fjord's hand is on his back while Molly's head is tilted back in laughter as an insult to the latest stuffy asshole is whispered in his ear, and Molly's tail seems to have a mind of its own when it comes to wrapping itself around various parts of Fjord's body.

They end the night absolutely trashed, sitting in a corner together with Molly in Fjord's lap and laughing obnoxiously loudly together while practically just waiting to be thrown out .

Caleb coming in and yelling at them is probably the only thing that stopped Fjord from kissing Molly that night.


	8. Chapter 8

There's a time, a dark and overly stormy night where Fjord is helping Molly walk to the nearest town or place to get healed, where Yasha is walking alongside them, Molly in the middle of the two in a (likely unconscious) display of protection from them.

There's an unspoken worry for Molly between Fjord and Yasha, shared glances that Molly cracks jokes at in the beginning and ignores after they've been walking for longer, too tired to do much besides keep trudging on.

Yasha shouldn't be here. The booming thunder and nearly toppling winds make that abundantly clear, but she stays anyway, feels she has to for now.

Molly knows that hes probably most of the reason, would protest but knows Yasha well enough to know that she's too stubborn to leave, doubly so if she feels like she's abandoning him when he needs her.

This is all fine for a while, they've been walking for at least an hour when lightning cracks down dangerously close to Molly, leaving his (and likely Fjord's and Yasha's) ears ringing.

He stops them, giving Yasha a knowing look and limping a step or two closer to her, hugs her (a hug she gladly, if more gently than usual, returns) before beckoning her to lean down, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead and muttering a “Go, keep yourself safe dear.”

She hesitates, looking between him and the sky a couple times before nodding and giving Fjord a one armed hug and a look that told him to keep Molly safe (as though he'd ever not) and heading in the direction the storm is coming from.


	9. Chapter 9

The first time Molly realizes he loves Fjord (or is in love with Fjord, may be more accurate; he's loved him in some capacity for a long while.) is kind of overly cliché.

It's after a too long day spent fighting for their lives. Fjord had a particularly close call and Molly came far too close to feeling him die. (And that, that's something he hates about the powers he has, death is a visceral feeling in his stomach and chest and claws at his throat if he lets it. It's hard not to let it, when its someone he cares about.)

It's late when they arrive to the nearest town and even later when all of them manage to collapse in their rooms.

It's quiet for a while, which wouldn't be unusual except Molly's been laying on top of Fjord for at least ten minutes, tail moving wildly in apparent distress and nails leaving small holes in Fjord's shirt where he's clinging. 

Fjord's hands move to run through Molly's hair on instinct, whispering comforting words into his ear.

Molly doesn't realize he's shaking until Fjord gently tells him that he can relax, that they're both safe and alive, starts rubbing the tension away gently with the hand not still softly petting him.

The thought of Fjord dying has Molly more shaken than perhaps anything has, and it's as he's calming down (matching Fjord's deliberately steady breathing, listening to his heartbeat and feeling him alive) that the reason why hits him.

He'd laugh if it didn't stun him so much. The idea of being in love was, in all honesty, foreign to him. He learned from the carnival and various other people what it was meant to feel like, sure, but he'd just assumed (with various degrees of panic and loathing and self doubt) that something about waking up in a dead body someone abandoned made him different, somehow.

The realization, sudden and enough to take his breath away for several moments, brings so many simultaneous feelings he isn't sure what to do with them (fear and gratefulness and the general sense that everything all at once made a lot more sense stood out).

He'd spent too long that night panicking, though, and so he pushes the fear aside and focuses more on how being in Fjord's arms felt (safe, warm despite the fact that Fjord was always colder than him, content, calm, safe,  _safe, safe, **safe**  _is the one his mind keeps repeating.)

They both fall asleep like this.

Warm, loved, and entirely safe from the rest of the world if only for a few hours.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one hurts me,

Molly woke up to a world he never asked to be a part of and (by the time canon is close to over) has been fighting for so, so many years.

And there's a night, much later on when they're in the thick of everything, their biggest series of fights ever, and they're all exhausted.

molly, used to hiding his panic behind jokes and bullshit and sometimes just plain drowning it in alcohol or elicit substances, breaks

Fjord is hurt, Molly is hurt, all of the Mighty Nein are hurt and Molly looks across the small space between them, (both of them busy undressing, too sore to do much but take it slow and, in Fjords case, sitting down on the bed out of necessity) sees how tired Fjord looks and loses his composure.

His fists tighten and the urge to scream becomes so strong he isn't sure what to do to stop it, chokes it down until he's shaking and the need turns to burning tears in his eyes and whatever comes out resembles a cry more than a scream.

Fjord notices then, eyes focusing quickly on Molly in his worry despite the tiredness Molly had seen in them before.

This, of all things, brings him to his knees in front of Fjord, hands grabbing onto the blanket below Fjord and then, getting as close as he can, onto Fjord himself. (He's much more careful with his nails than he was with his own skin, though is still gripping desperately.)

Fjord is comforting as ever, murmurs gently and runs his fingers through Molly's hair.

It calms the shaking but doesn't stop any of the feelings flowing through Molly, only serves to make him angrier (These peaceful moments are so small, too small, not enough. Gods, do we not just deserve to be at peace together? I just want to rest with you. Why do we have to keep fighting? Have we not already done enough? It's not fair. It's not fair. _It's not **fair**_.)

Molly doesn't realize he's talking out loud until he hears his own voice all of a sudden yelling out the last words (over and over until his throat closes off, tight and sore with emotion) and then Fjord gently telling him to calm down, to breathe (Please Molls, just breathe with me. We’re alive together. We won’t have to fight for much longer. C’mon sweetheart. I’ve got you darlin'.)

Molly isn't really okay, and neither is Fjord, exactly, but they will be very soon. Fjord helps Molly believe that. Molly helps Fjord believe that too.


	11. Chapter 11

One time (or, more than one time pretty likely, but one notable time) Fjord and Molly are in a tavern, some port town that they're just passing through.

And they both thrive in the others presence, feel more free and alive than is probably strictly safe in terms of taking risks, feel damn near invincible together.

Molly, (bored and looking for fun and sensing that this town could use some chaos) very dramatically and with a flourish and a faux affronted shout, makes it look like Fjord bumps into him and spills their drinks down his front.

This, of course, is the perfect reason to draw a sword on Fjord, which Molly does with a grab at the front of his shirt for good measure.

Fjord smirks, and while it looks from the outside like a mocking gesture, Molly has to fight a smile.

They fight then, practically dancing around the room.

Molly jumps onto a table and Fjord follows, everyone else in the tavern is frozen, watching the spectacle and unsure whether they should intervene or not.

And performing like that makes it all the more fun. They're both forcing down grins at this point, Fjord shaping his into a smug look and Molly just barely letting his fangs show.

The pure joy in their eyes is pretty apparent, but nobody gets close enough mid fight to see.

It eventually ends, after much fanfare, with Molly backed up against a wall with a sword to his neck. A handful of seconds pass before he casually pushes aside Fjords hand, uttering an overly amused “You win this time, sailor.” before bowing to the small gaping crowd of patrons.

Fjord gets his bow in as well before they're both promptly kicked out, laughing all the way to the next tavern under the stars together.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter (and the next) have little basis in canon, the only background info necessary is that theres some evil wizard fuckin with molly and fjord.

One night, a seemingly peaceful one where Molly is asleep in his usual place (Fjords arms) he gets a dream.

No images, exactly, just the feeling of encroaching darkness and a sinister voice in his head.

“You’re going to die the same way you woke up; alone and not knowing who you are.”

The voice is still ringing in his ears as he wakes, looking out the window to see the moon still high in the sky, hands already beginning to shake as he scrambles off the bed.

He's fully convinced that some entity, a vengeful god or whatever helped put this body in the dirt before, was hellbent on killing him, or at least making sure he died the way he was meant to.

Molly, as he was very occasionally wont to do, panics and starts trying to pack his things. (Only Fjord and Yasha had every been privy to these panicked episodes, sometimes stemming from the fear of not deserving his body, sometimes from the need to keep his loved ones out of danger, sometimes just because he feels like they'd be better without him somehow.)

He's far too frantic to do it quietly (hands shaking even worse now, unbidden panicked tears running down his face even though he's never exactly been the crying type, the voice still loud in his brain) and Fjord wakes up before he's even halfway through, stands and grabs Molly in a hug from behind.

Molly jumps in surprise and fights the hold for a few seconds before Fjord talking gently to him hits his ears.

It cuts through the other voice in his head, which is astonishing considering it still feels like its stuck in his brain. (Unbeknownst to either of them, it is. Whoever said it is still there, still trying to push them away from each other.)

It takes time (at first sitting on the floor in a pile together, then moved to the bed so they're propped up, Molly against Fjord's chest) but Molly tells Fjord what he heard, can almost feel Fjord's desire to protect emanating off him in waves.

Fjord tells him that they'll make sure it doesn't happen together, promises with everything he is, places a kiss on Molly's forehead (and the top of his hair, and his cheeks, and his eyes, and finally his lips).

Molly believes him, despite something lingering in the back of his head trying to convince him to not.


	13. Chapter 13

There's a day, some real innocuous one where not much is going on, that something bad happens.

Molly feels weird at first; like some fog has gone over his brain and eyes and there's a vice on his throat. It happens while he’s talking to Fjord. The urge to draw his swords becomes inescapable. The muscles in his fingers twitch for a moment, he tries to fight it but the same fog feels as though it's controlling his limbs for him.

He hears muffled yelling, only catches a startled “Molls!” clearly before the fog becomes even stronger, sees Fjord's eyes widen in surprise and what he reads as fear, and fear overtakes him as well.

Everything in his body wants him to kill Fjord. He's throwing his whole weight into it, the only thing stopping it being Fjord himself (and thank fuck they sparred so much together, he already knew Molly's fighting style like the back of his hand).

Molly doesn't absorb much of whats going on, all of his efforts going into trying to stop his body from betraying him. (And Gods, wasn't this what he was running from? The possibility of his body not being his own makes even more dread run through him despite nearly the entirety of his brain being preoccupied with everything else wrong with the situation.)

It ends, he doesn't know when exactly, but the fog leaves all at once, makes the feeling in his chest come to choke him even harder. Fjord runs up to meet him as his knees start to buckle, both of them dropping their weapons and clinging to one another.

Fjord presses his forehead against Molly's, lets them both breathe until they're at a steady pace (Molly with his hands clinging to Fjord's shirt and his tail wrapped around him as though it could single-handedly keep him there, Fjord's hands running first down Molly's cheeks, then in his hair, then continuing to caress him gently, keeping them both grounded).

One of the first things Fjord does after this is buy a ring with mind shielding, blows the entirety of his savings on it and tosses it to Molly as they're getting ready to sleep, as though it was an afterthought even though it likely wasn't one.

Molly puts it on with a curious look, raising a brow at Fjord when they're both in bed together.

Fjord gently explains what it is (didn't want to make a big deal in front of the others, though his tone clearly states that he knows how important this is to Molly, knows _exactly_ what the implications of not having control of his body were, knows being secure in his body is crucial).

This is one of the few times Molly is left completely speechless. Touched beyond words, really.

He kisses Fjord with everything he's got to try and convey how grateful he is, is sure Fjord can feel the tears prickling at the corners of his eyes (not bad, just overwhelmed). Fjord uses a thumb to gently wipe them away before they fall and Molly smiles a small smile against his lips.

Fjord smiles back.


	14. Chapter 14

Molly has a self sacrificial streak.

It's not apparent, at first, though maybe it should be with the way he without a single thought accepts that his hurting himself can help his friends in battle, and then does it frequently and without thought.

There's a time, too vivid in Molly's memory and one of the first times he feels like time's slowed down without the effect of a spell, that Fjord is being attacked, an arrow aimed straight at him and Molly, unthinkingly and with adrenaline coursing through him, steps in front of him.

He's hit with the arrow and stumbles forward, Fjord catching him with wide, fearful eyes. The moment seems to last forever and Molly never wants to make Fjord that worried again, even though he knows there will be many other close calls and he'd die protecting Fjord without hesitation.

Fjord, later after they've helped patch each other up and are laying in bed, strokes Molly's hair gently, calls him a “beautiful reckless man” and thanks him. Molly, burying his face against Fjord's neck, breathes out that he loves Fjord, grabs onto his shirt tight enough for his claws to leave small holes and just breathes.

They both feel the weight behind those words, the unspoken “I don't know what I'd do without you.” and “I'd die for you even though I know you'd never want me to.” an understanding between them.

Fjord says he loves Molly back and means very much the same thing.

It's them against the world (always will be) and they fall asleep breathing easier together.


	15. Chapter 15

Molly almost drunkenly kisses Fjord several times.

Sometimes it's just while they're talking, not needing to be as close as they are but leaning against each other anyway. (And so what if most of the leaning is done on Molly's part, he's meant to be sprawled out over something anyway, what better than a handsome man?)

There are other more specific times too, once while Fjord is carrying Molly from a tavern to their inn of the night, the moon giving a soft glow to everything.

Molly (not for the first time) calls Fjord his angel as he’s picked up, his tone half teasing and trying to hide the sincerity behind the words. There's something far too ethereal and captivating about Fjord in the moonlight to put words to, but if Molly had more self awareness he'd be sure whatever feeling it was giving him was coloring his words with awe and adoration.

He can't bring himself to look away and every time Fjord looks down they make eye contact that makes Molly want to kiss him more. (His only saving grace is the lack of irises and pupils; maybe Fjord couldn't actually tell he was staring.)

Molly tightens his grip around Fjord's neck as the want (bordering so close to a need he can feel it under his skin) to kiss Fjord becomes near overwhelming. Fjord helps nothing by giving Molly a smile, makes him have to hide his face against Fjord's neck to avoid making a rash decision 

There's another time when Molly is a fair deal more drunk, both of them stumbling (mostly courtesy of Molly's heavy leaning and his tail winding playfully around Fjord) into their shared room and collapsing onto the bed together (also courtesy of Molly, arms linked too tightly around Fjord's neck and tail too tangled with his legs for Fjord to fall anywhere but on top of him).

Luckily Fjord is sober enough to catch himself before their noses or foreheads collide, hands on either side of Molly's head.

Molly's laughter (giggly and too loud) gets stuck in his throat rather abruptly as he stares up at Fjord, suddenly feeling trapped (in a way that makes him feel breathless, not bad at all but entirely more overwhelming than he knows what to do with).

He finds himself looking into Fjord's eyes (warm and kind and something about them made him want to be honest and soft, a feeling he can't and doesn't care to analyze right now). Molly's never been afraid of eye contact but something about this is too much, makes him more nervous than hes used to.

So he moves on and goes down to Fjord's lips and all at once everything in his brain and body is screaming to kiss him, it would take him by surprise except he has zero time to think before his hands are gripping (desperately, too tight) to the front of Fjord's shirt.

He pulls Fjord close enough to feel him breathing, nearly bridges the gap to kiss him and would have if the concerned “Molls?” hadn't snapped him out of it, Fjord's face a picture of cautious confusion, like hes worried Molly is angry.

This makes Molly laugh, a bit strained and a bit something else (not exactly relieved that Fjord stopped him and not exactly let down, more like surprised that he let himself get caught up in those feelings).

He gives a (hopefully light enough to stop Fjord from worrying) “Nothin’ to worry about, sailor.” and does his best to get past the intense desire to feel Fjord closer than he assumes he's entitled to.

 


	16. Chapter 16

Molly and Fjord are laying in bed together one morning, naked, probably after having sex and Jester knocks on their door.

Fjord, still more than a bit distracted with Molly (hands on his skin and leaving light kisses anywhere he can reach, Molly giggling every once in a while and pulling him up to kiss his lips when the mood strikes) nervously yells out a “Don’t come in, we’re naked!”

Molly is already trying not to audibly laugh, shoulders shaking lightly with the effort.

“Nice try Fjord, I know that one!” Jester yells through the door, opening it and walking in before either of the room’s occupants have any time to respond.

Fjord makes a hasty attempt to cover up at least a bit as he sees the knob turning, though Molly makes a point to sprawl out on top of him looking as unaffected as possible.

“Oh.” She sounds surprised to see that Fjord hadn’t been lying, though the smile on her face hadn’t at all disappeared, and something tells Molly they’re going to get teased very vocally about this later. (He’s right.)

“Hi Jester,” he greets around a grin, waggling his fingers in her direction.

“Well,” she starts, already re-opening the door. “Bye Molly!” 

A hasty exit is made, leaving Fjord faux-disgruntled (”She didn’t even say hi to me.” “I mean, she didn’t say hi to me either, sailor.”) and Molly poking fun at him. (”I can’t believe you actually thought that would work.” “To be fair, I was rather preoccupied, darlin’”)


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> small cw for like, idk molly being briefly held prisoner

Molly gets captured, for some reason or another (likely related to whoever owned his body before him)

He comes to standing up, manacles keeping his arms above his head enough so his feet are barely touching the ground. The feeling is disorienting (to say the least) and he shakes his head, wincing as he inadvertently pulls against the restraints.

The only thought that manages to come into his mind is that this is very bad, and a somewhat hysterical laugh escapes him as he tries to quell the instinctual full on anxiety reaction threatening to overtake him.

He's not awake for long (probably? he may have passed out a few times, everything is far too hazy to really grasp at) before he hears footsteps, too loud and oddly far away at the same time, and opens his eyes blearily to see what looked like a human guard came and unlocked the cell he was in.

The walking over seemed a bit closer to stomping (though whether this was because the guard was angry or Molly was a bit out of it was unclear) and it’s only as he gets closer, stepping inside the enclosed space with him and not bothering to relock or even close the door, that Molly notices him carrying a tray of food.

As the man approaches the tray is dropped to the floor (angrily? though what he's angry at is unclear, Molly assumes its him and nearly recoils as he gets even closer) as he leans forward, fiddling with the locks around Molly's wrists, a soft “Stay with me Molls.” leaves his mouth, calming and familiar and nearly enough to make Molly cry with relief

And he nods, a confidence he thought his fatigued body was long past surging through him as everything makes a bit more sense for a second.

He could misdirect with Fjord for as long as need be, and already having him around makes him feel on more even footing.

They exit the cell, Fjord helping Molly walk and (just barely) convincing people along the way that he was meant to take him somewhere, suspicious looks tossed their way but not an actual move made to harm or stop them made.

They stop as soon as possible, in some alcove after turning into a corridor and not seeing anyone for a couple minutes.

Fjord gives Molly a health potion (which helps some, less than is ideal but walking hurts far less than it did and he can do it alone now), re-casts disguise self, and then kisses Molly near immediately after, back against the wall and letting Molly lean against him, grabbing his face in his hands, just reveling in the pause they both know has to be quick.

“How are you, darlin'?” is all Fjord asks, and Molly knows that (for now, until the coast is clear) it means “Can you keep going until we’re safe?”

Molly gives a gentle smile, kisses Fjord one more time, and tells him that he’ll “be fine, sailor” and that they should go.

Fjord nods, a small smile on his face as well now, and grabs Molly by the hand (which he’ll have to stop soon, it’d be hard to explain a guard leading someone by the hand away from a prison area, but it makes them both feel invincible for a second, reminiscent of nights where they’re running under the stars together after causing some chaos or another)

(Fjord reveals later, when they’re laying in bed together, that Molly had been gone about a day, only because Caleb had made him wait, and that he’d nearly punched Caleb when he said that it’d be the smartest thing to do)

(That gets a laugh from Molly)  



	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha whats canon we ship fjordmauk til the end baybeeee  
> anyway i like this one even tho its short it means a lot 2 me

Molly and Fjord are laying in bed together one night, later on, in one of the fancier places they’d ever been.

The ceiling is done so you can see the sky through it, despite not being made of glass. (Caleb had tried to explain the intricacies pf the magic but they'd both, evidently, tuned him out enough to have not absorbed anything.)

Molly is half on top of Fjord, nestled safely in his arms and tucked under his chin, both of them looking at the stars as they often do when it’s just the two of them. (The first thing of them saw after waking up was the night sky, and there's something beautiful and poetic in that to them.)

“Sometimes I just want to run away with you,” Molly confesses quietly, and it isn’t exactly a new sentiment but something in his voice is a step away from heavy exhaustion and the unspoken “away from all the fighting and pain and death” hangs between them.

“Yeah? Where d'you wanna go, Molls?” There’s a smile clear in his voice at the prospect, even though it’s somewhat bittersweet; they both know it’s not the right time yet and that they couldn’t actually abandon anyone when they’re needed.

“Anywhere,” comes the reply, and Molly’s voice breaks on it, coming out desperate and needy and far smaller than he intends.

Fjord looks down at him then, bringing a hand up to run soothingly through his hair, pressing a kiss to his forehead before talking, voice quiet but sure.

“I’ll show you the world, darlin’. Take you by the hand and run until we’re both far away from all our responsibilities and hardships. We can just exist together soon.”

The last sentence sounds more like a promise than anything Molly’s ever heard and it brings tears to his eyes.

“I’m counting on it, sailor,” Molly sighs into Fjord’s neck, breathing him in deeply and sinking further into his embrace.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> B) no canon we die like men

Instead of Jester it's Molly that's taken with Fjord and Yasha (Fjord and Molly on watch together woke Yasha up talking a bit too loudly, Yasha used to sleeping lightly and ready to leave at a moments notice) and it takes a toll on them.

That pretty much cements Molly sleeping in a way that makes sure he has physical contact with Fjord at all times (and while Fjord doesn't initiate the contact in as many of the more casual ways as Molly does, its definitely the same for him).

It starts out with just his tail or a hand but escalates over time.

Eventually Molly feels safest laying on top of Fjord listening to his heartbeat or curled up with him, tucked gently under his chin and with their legs tangled together.

Nightmares, while not exactly uncommon before for either of them, take different turns now (watching each other or their friends get captured seems to be a running theme). They're lucky that they can lull each other back to sleep, gently breathing together until they drift off.

They're both a bit more paranoid, stick with each other more too (maybe not in a way that anyone else noticed but the need to be closer is something they both feel).

(And maybe this need to be closer was a big, big fuckin' sign, in retrospect, but they're both too oblivious to have realized it meant anything more than needing someone important to you to be safe for a long while.)


	20. Chapter 20

Molly's drunk one night, sitting around at the far end of a bar with Fjord, nothing at all unusual.

He's a lot less talkative than he normally gets when hes intoxicated, though, much more introspective, leaning on Fjord and almost hiding against him. Not enough to be noticeable visually, but enough for Fjord to wrap an arm around him, a small but meaningful sign of comfort and protection.

Molly speaks up, seemingly out of nowhere, with a laugh that sounds more bitter than humorous says that he really hates Fjord's patron god.

That gives Fjord pause, and he flags the barkeep down to pay their collective tab before walking up to his and Molly's shared room.

(Sober Molly, no matter how full of chaos and how seemingly uncaring in some ways, would never speak ill out loud of a deity that he knew existed, at least not when said deity was unfortunately in charge of many aspects of Fjord's life. The aggressively opinionated statement was a clear sign that he was a bit too far gone to consider his words.)

They lay down on the bed together after they're both sufficiently undressed, Molly still quieter than normal, lost in thought in a way that probably wasn't very good for anyone involved.

He mentions that the only thing he liked about Fjord's patron was that he'd kept him alive, and even then it was for a selfish reason, only so Fjord could be used, and that made Molly even more angry. 

It's nothing Fjord doesn't already know, really, but Molly's never said any of this out loud before, tends to not get involved too much in things he cant help or change, certainly not if he can avoid it.

But something about it comes out unsteadily, his voice wavering as he talks about his feelings, very much centered around wanting Fjord to have the best life he can.

Molly never got to choose where his powers came from, and neither did Fjord, and there's something not quite fair about that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> these bits of writing are slowing down but i am still Out Here... makin the fjordmauk content i need 2 survive.


End file.
